5 O.C. ORIGINALS
Five innovations that Orange County unleashed on the world:
The Fender Stratocaster, 1954: It wasn't the first solid-body electric guitar, but quickly became the most i... Full story »

WASHINGTON Robert Nietzel barely controlled tears after he accepted the Medal of Honor on behalf of his first cousin, Alfred B. Nietzel. President Barack Obama handed Robert and 23 others the U.S. military's highest award at a White House ceremony Tuesday.
... Full story »

If you're a golfer in parched Southern California, you might have a scorching swing.
Scientists at UC Irvine say they've proved that titanium-coated clubs can cause course-side vegetation to burst into flames.
The new study confirms a suspicion firefighte... Full story »

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Ten days after a Malaysian jetliner disappeared, Thailand's military said Tuesday it saw radar blips that might have been from the missing plane but didn't report it “because we did not pay attention to it.” Those signals provide e... Full story »

MOSCOW In a gilded Kremlin hall used by czars, Vladimir Putin redrew Russia's borders Tuesday by declaring the Crimean Peninsula part of the motherland – provoking a surge of emotion among Russians who lament the loss of empire and denunciations from Western l... Full story »

FULLERTON Richard Smith's two girls are in college, and that can cost a bit.
So dad is willing to part with the first Fender Stratocaster to ever roll off the production line.
You can have this 1954 ax that has barely been played for ... Full story »

BERKELEY Colleges – or newspapers for that matter – might not like you citing Wikipedia as a source, but one college has hired a Wikipedian-in-residence to advise students and professors on editing articles for the online encyclopedia.
UC... Full story »

Sign-ups for Covered California, the state health insurance exchange, surged past the 1 million mark earlier this week, surpassing forecasts. But enrollment of two key groups – young people and Latinos – is still lagging Covered California's goals.
Both those... Full story »